Organizational Politics slp Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Politics slp - Assignment Example In this case, six individuals wanted to be selected as the new sales manager, as a result, leading to a political battle. Political behaviour might be due to individual and organisational factors (Nair, 2010). Personal factors include the need for power, incremental reward, increase in scope of control and Machiavellianism. Organizational factors may be situational or organisational culture. Situation factors encompass performance evaluation, promotion seeking and resource allocation. In this case, there was a situational cause for the political behaviour as the workers were seeking promotion to the vacant position. Politicking arises because of the organisation culture whereby it is practised from the top management to the subordinates that was the case in the company. Some of the prospective staff members to the position went ahead tarnishing the other party’s credibility. It was through trying to reveal fraudulent activities that were they took part in the past. It led to some of the candidates getting disqualified and some were dismissed as well from the organisation after commission of enquiry set up found them guilty. If someone substantially invested in an organization, both emotionally or financially is likely to employ political behaviour due to care of the organisation’s destiny. Although politicking within the organisation is healthy, it also has its adverse effects as rift between employees’ increases. In this case, the working relationship within the organization became poor hence ultimately affecting the overall performance of the organisation In 2002, during the merger between HP and Compaq there was politicking within the board as some were opposed to the merger. The infighting was so bad that some of the board members leaked secretive information to the public. One of the main reasons for the conflict was the appointment of the CEO of the merged grouped. It led to

Monsato Company †A Question in Agricultural Ethics Essay Example for Free

Monsato Company – A Question in Agricultural Ethics Essay Monsato Company is a Missouri-based company founded in 1901 by John F. Queeny and his wife Olga Monsato producing saccharine. In the mid-1940s, Monsato Co. began developing agricultural chemicals and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, herbicides were developed and introduced to the farmers. In 1981, a research group was established and the business’s primary focus was molecular biotechnology. In 1982, Monsato Co. bought Jacob Hartz Seed Co., a company known in the Midwest for its soybeen seeds. Also in 1982, scientists working for Monsato Co. produced the first genetically modified plant. In 1996, RoundUp Ready Soybeans were introduced possessing an in-seed herbicide. Several other in-seed herbicides are introduced in 1997 by Monsato Co. such as RoundUp Ready Cotton and RoundUp Ready Canola. Also introduced is an in-seed insect protection called YieldGard Corn Borer. In 1998, Monsato Co. combines the technology of in-seed herbicides with their in-seed insecticides into one product for its corn seed. In 2002, Monsato Co. identifies corn hybrids, which yield more ethanol per bushel than normal corn. Later this same year, they also identify a similar hybrid in their soybeans, which will produce more oil than a normal soybean. In 2004, Monsato Co. creates American Seeds, Inc (ASI) to support regional seed business with capital, genetics, and technology investments. In 2005, Monsato Co. acquires four companies Fontanelle Hybrids, based in Fontanelle, Neb, Stewart Seeds, based in Greensburg, Ind., Trelay Seeds, based in Livingston, Wis., and Stone Seeds, based in Pleasant Plains, Ill. In 2006, they acquire several other local seed companies, some family-owned, including Diener Seeds, Sieben Hybrids, Kruger Seed Company, Trisler Seed Farms, Gold Country Seed, Inc., Heritage Seeds and Campbell Seed. Over the next several years, they also acquire other local and regional companies and continue their research and development of genetically altered seeds. Over the course of a few decades, Monsato Co. has gone from a small company making saccharine to a Midwest agricultural giant manufacturing genetically altered seed. 1 A Possible Solution: Deregulation Although the idea of producing more crops with less cost, such as additional chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides may sound, the fact remains that Monsato Co. is not only toying with nature, they are also putting smaller family-owned companies out of business. In the past several years, organic foods have become more popular. Consumers want to feed their families healthy food, not food filled with chemicals. In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to back Monsato and other biotech companies by supporting the deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. This would mean that the GE companies would have no restrictions on their technology and its use.2 Deregulation has its obvious problems. Organic crop company leaders, such as Stonyfield, Whole Foods, and OrganicValley believe that GE crops use a higher amount of toxins, herbicides, and water. Also the claims of higher crop yield will not be met and the price of this seed will be too costly for the average farmer. There is also the potential of cross-contamination of crops where a farmer using GE seed spreads the toxins to his organic neighbor through groundwater. This could lead to the organic farmer’s crops getting contaminated and his losing his license to sell organic products. Stonyfield and other organic companies opposed this ruling and in 2010 it went to the Supreme Court. The decision was that deregulation could not take place without the USDA making an environmental assessment of the genetically enhanced seeds used, and an injunction was put in place preventing the planting of GE alfalfa seeds. David and Goliath Biotech companies lobbied heavily in Washington. However, the smaller organic supporters caught the ear of the USDA and as a result persuaded them to conduct a meeting of the minds of both sides. The problem was clear – there was an incredible amount of support, political and financial, in favor of GE alfalfa. The result was that the UDSA would allow deregulation. The organic companies and farmers were faced with the fact that GE alfalfa was here to stay. What was left to fight over was whether it would be complete deregulation or one with restrictions. In their opinion, it was better to have some measure of control than no control at all, so the organic community stayed and fought. They brought to the table demands for reassurance that â€Å"(a) organic farmers whose crops become contaminated by GE alfalfa must be compensated by the patent holders for their losses due to losing their organic certification and (b) the USDA must oversee all testing and monitoring of GE crops t o ensure compliance as part of its role in protecting all US agriculture.† 3 The organic community won that portion of the battle. Conclusion The organic community may have won that battle, but they lost the war. Chemical companies and genetically engineered seed are a mainstay in today’s agriculture. Along with that they bring with them the potential for contaminated soil and damaged and lost crops of the small, everyday farmer. These farmers and family-owned businesses are being swallowed up on a regular basis. As the world’s population grows so does the demand for an ever increasing need of better, more enhanced, products. Technology provides us with the knowledge and growth for these, but in its wake leaves behind the things that matter very much to clean air, clean soil, fresh water and â€Å"pure† food. References 1) Monsato. (2010). Monsato. Retrieved from http://www.monsanto.com 2) Pearson, C. (2010, March). The Most Unethical Company is also Best Corporate Citizen. Cause Integration http://www.causeintegration.com/2010/ the-most-unethical-companyis-a-best-corporate-citizen-what-gives/ 3) Hirshberg, G. (2011, January). Speaking with One Voice to Stop Monsato and Biotech. Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hirshberg/speaking-with-one-voice-t_b_816447.html

Graphics :: essays research papers

5.2 Images: Information without Words or Numbers Images play a fundamental role in the representation, storage, and transmission of important information throughout our professional and personal lives. In many professions, including publishing, art, film making, architecture, and medicine, it is crucial to be able to represent and manipulate information in image form. Furthermore, with the development of multimedia technology and virtual reality, many other professions are beginning to explore the power of representing information in visual form. In Chapter 3, we introduced the ideas behind binary representation of information, and in particular showed how integr and text can be converted into binary form. We also mentioned that other types of information can be represented by bits, and briefly described the process one might use to convert an image into binary digits. We then suggested how this would extend to representation of time-varying imagery, or video. 5.3 Cameras and Image Formation As mentioned in the introduction to this book, the film-based camera is over 150 years old. Recent advances have provided a variety of alternatives to the use of conventional film, but the basic image formation process has not changed. This process may be familiar to you from experience with basic optics, and is illustrated in Figure 5.1. The essential components of this system are: the object or scene to be imaged, the lens, and the image recording medium (retina of the eye, film, or other device). The image recording medium is usually located in a plane parallel to the lens, known as the image plane. Note that the image that is formed is inverted; this is usually of no consequence because the display device may easily correct this condition. The resulting image represents a projection from the three-dimensional object world to the two-dimensional image world. The focal length specifies the distance from the lens to the image plane. More useful to us, it also indicates the degree of magnification of the lens. From 35 mm photography, we know that a lens of 50 mm focal length is considered ``normal'' (in the sense that the resulting photo will contain the same expanse of image that a human would see from the same point as the camera); one of 28 mm focal length is ``wide angle,'' and one of 135 mm focal length is ``telephoto.'' For a different film (image) size,those focal lengths would change, but the principle remains the same.

Gender Identity Paper

Gender Identity Paper PSY/340 Wendy Gray April 30, 2012 Kale Kirkland First let me start by trying to explain what gender identity is. Gender Identity is a sense of being either man or woman and you or a particular group such a male or female. When a person is confused about what gender they are than you have problems which arise such as a male thinking they should be a female and a male thinking they should be a female. Hormones are a chemical messenger which produce in different glands then secreted to the necessary place which causes certain biological activity to take place.A hormone is a chemical release that alters the metabolism. There are certain hormones that are released by the pituitary gland or thyroid gland that are known to promote certain behavior. This can be seen in women mostly because the hormone will affect the way a women acts and can cause so mood changes which can be bad. Hormones have the capability to affect the neurons in the brain cells and in return this a lso can cause some certain behaviors. Hormones do play a huge role in the functioning of the body and the immune system.This area is a place where you can see the behavior change as a person gets older and things in the body start to change so does the levels of hormones. When a women is going through the change of life you can see such behavior as suspicion, anxiety which makes it hard to live and get along with this person. I feel that where and how a person grows up will and can affect the gender in which they believe they are. If a child that is a male and his family tries to raise him as a female this is going to affect this child and bring confusion about who he truly is.I feel it would be the same way is a female is raised a male it will confuse them in to thinking they are a male. Male and females brains are different and I do not think that people understand this and it causes confusion in the children so there in a fight trying to figure out what gender they are. Psycholog ists have found that children who are really smart at math were characterized with unusual physical attributes. You have to think biological things do not change as much as environmental things can. You an be in a place one minute and the next you are out so this can happen fast. Socialization can be another place where it will affect a person’s gender identity I know these days many kids can be cruel and say things to make others question who they really are. Society also plays a role in this because in this world you are to be a certain way and behavior a certain way. Society has defined who we are sometimes even if someone gets hurt in the process. I feel society does play to much of a role on how a male is to act and how a female is to act.Society also plays a role with the kind of work we are to have and it is no wonder we have so many people with the disorder gender identity disorder which is defined by strong feelings of identification with the opposite gender and not comfortable with one’s own assigned sex though not all people believe this disorder is even a disorder but a mental disorder. You have to understand that as a child trying to find out who you are you will be influenced by the people around you and they will imitate gender behaviors of the one’s they love the most, so if you are confused by who you are your child will mostly go through the same problem.Sexual differentiation is a biological process unlike gender identity. Gender identity is developed under influences of thins like environmental factors and social reinforcement also things like language and parental examples. The brain has a lot to do with who we are and how we work. Men and women have different brains and this cause as to define who we are different and when this is messed with it cause confusion. Children learn what is welcomed and what is not.They learn what behavior is acceptable and what will affect who they define themselves as. Rogers (Roberts, 20 09) suggests that sex-differentiated behavior has more biological basis. He also feel that the environment can affect the brain and ultimately behavior. As one learns, feedbacks mechanisms and behavior are altered; the brain changes (Roberts, 2000). In all it will come down to whom we believe we are you see many people from TV who so not even know who they are because they have been altered to be a certain person.I think as a psychologist we can study all we want to and try to figure out how to get things like gender identity disorder fixed but still in the end it will be up to us. If a person is confused about what gender they are I fell it would be good for that person to get help and try to find out who they are. I do feel that TV and things like computers are making people confused about who they are. Let’s say you have someone on TV you want to be like and this could become so much that as a person you try to be who that TV star is.Psychologists still do not know to what extent that biological causes that may affect underline sex difference but the evidence is growing that such factors can be explained at least some behavioral differences between men and women. The brain plays a huge role on the sexual behavior of male and female. The hypothalamus and the amygdale are parts of the brain that control sexual functioning. It is also clear that your environment can have a critical effect in producing sex and gender differences. I feel have all the brain functioning as it should does help to make the right choice.The brain has so many parts and if something is off it can cause a person to not be able to function proper. I know if a person has emotional problems this will effect everything about that person even who they are. I feel if the person can get the right medication then they can begin to feel better and learn who they are. The effects of gender go beyond the mere biological fact because men and women do not have the same roles like a woman is s tereotyped as a housewife, secretary and mother you do not see many men with this stereotype.In the world today this has changed some but it does still go on. To me I feel that the way you grow will be the strongest effect on what gender you choose because I know that parents are usually the example that a child will follow. I know that that may not always be the case but most times it is. If a child grows with parents that tell them all the time I wished you would have be a girl and you are a boy you will begin to hate who you are and want to change your gender to please your parents.Your mind will be so confused about your identity because your parents choose to remind you over and over and this does play with the mind of a child. In the end as a parent I feel we should be aware of what we are teaching our children so that when they grow up they are not facing with what to be a male or female. I feel we should give them the support and a loving environment they need to grow into a healthy adult. I understand that the brain can play a role in this also and that there are so many other factors that can effect a person who is trying to figure out what gender they are.Learning who you are can be hard if you are dealing with a disorder this is when I feel a psychologist should be brought in to help you understand what is going on in your References: Lazarre, S. (2008). Biological Foundation of Psychology. 11 University of Phoenix, Arizona Pinel, J. P. J. (2009). Biopsychology (7th ed. ). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Roberts, C. (2000, Fall). Biological behavior? Hormonoes, psychology, and sex. Wickens, A (2005). Foundations of Biopsychology. (2nd ed. ). Harlow, England: Pearson Prentice Hall mind and give you medication if that is what is needed. Gender Identity Paper Gender Identity Paper PSY/340 Wendy Gray April 30, 2012 Kale Kirkland First let me start by trying to explain what gender identity is. Gender Identity is a sense of being either man or woman and you or a particular group such a male or female. When a person is confused about what gender they are than you have problems which arise such as a male thinking they should be a female and a male thinking they should be a female. Hormones are a chemical messenger which produce in different glands then secreted to the necessary place which causes certain biological activity to take place.A hormone is a chemical release that alters the metabolism. There are certain hormones that are released by the pituitary gland or thyroid gland that are known to promote certain behavior. This can be seen in women mostly because the hormone will affect the way a women acts and can cause so mood changes which can be bad. Hormones have the capability to affect the neurons in the brain cells and in return this a lso can cause some certain behaviors. Hormones do play a huge role in the functioning of the body and the immune system.This area is a place where you can see the behavior change as a person gets older and things in the body start to change so does the levels of hormones. When a women is going through the change of life you can see such behavior as suspicion, anxiety which makes it hard to live and get along with this person. I feel that where and how a person grows up will and can affect the gender in which they believe they are. If a child that is a male and his family tries to raise him as a female this is going to affect this child and bring confusion about who he truly is.I feel it would be the same way is a female is raised a male it will confuse them in to thinking they are a male. Male and females brains are different and I do not think that people understand this and it causes confusion in the children so there in a fight trying to figure out what gender they are. Psycholog ists have found that children who are really smart at math were characterized with unusual physical attributes. You have to think biological things do not change as much as environmental things can. You an be in a place one minute and the next you are out so this can happen fast. Socialization can be another place where it will affect a person’s gender identity I know these days many kids can be cruel and say things to make others question who they really are. Society also plays a role in this because in this world you are to be a certain way and behavior a certain way. Society has defined who we are sometimes even if someone gets hurt in the process. I feel society does play to much of a role on how a male is to act and how a female is to act.Society also plays a role with the kind of work we are to have and it is no wonder we have so many people with the disorder gender identity disorder which is defined by strong feelings of identification with the opposite gender and not comfortable with one’s own assigned sex though not all people believe this disorder is even a disorder but a mental disorder. You have to understand that as a child trying to find out who you are you will be influenced by the people around you and they will imitate gender behaviors of the one’s they love the most, so if you are confused by who you are your child will mostly go through the same problem.Sexual differentiation is a biological process unlike gender identity. Gender identity is developed under influences of thins like environmental factors and social reinforcement also things like language and parental examples. The brain has a lot to do with who we are and how we work. Men and women have different brains and this cause as to define who we are different and when this is messed with it cause confusion. Children learn what is welcomed and what is not.They learn what behavior is acceptable and what will affect who they define themselves as. Rogers (Roberts, 20 09) suggests that sex-differentiated behavior has more biological basis. He also feel that the environment can affect the brain and ultimately behavior. As one learns, feedbacks mechanisms and behavior are altered; the brain changes (Roberts, 2000). In all it will come down to whom we believe we are you see many people from TV who so not even know who they are because they have been altered to be a certain person.I think as a psychologist we can study all we want to and try to figure out how to get things like gender identity disorder fixed but still in the end it will be up to us. If a person is confused about what gender they are I fell it would be good for that person to get help and try to find out who they are. I do feel that TV and things like computers are making people confused about who they are. Let’s say you have someone on TV you want to be like and this could become so much that as a person you try to be who that TV star is.Psychologists still do not know to what extent that biological causes that may affect underline sex difference but the evidence is growing that such factors can be explained at least some behavioral differences between men and women. The brain plays a huge role on the sexual behavior of male and female. The hypothalamus and the amygdale are parts of the brain that control sexual functioning. It is also clear that your environment can have a critical effect in producing sex and gender differences. I feel have all the brain functioning as it should does help to make the right choice.The brain has so many parts and if something is off it can cause a person to not be able to function proper. I know if a person has emotional problems this will effect everything about that person even who they are. I feel if the person can get the right medication then they can begin to feel better and learn who they are. The effects of gender go beyond the mere biological fact because men and women do not have the same roles like a woman is s tereotyped as a housewife, secretary and mother you do not see many men with this stereotype.In the world today this has changed some but it does still go on. To me I feel that the way you grow will be the strongest effect on what gender you choose because I know that parents are usually the example that a child will follow. I know that that may not always be the case but most times it is. If a child grows with parents that tell them all the time I wished you would have be a girl and you are a boy you will begin to hate who you are and want to change your gender to please your parents.Your mind will be so confused about your identity because your parents choose to remind you over and over and this does play with the mind of a child. In the end as a parent I feel we should be aware of what we are teaching our children so that when they grow up they are not facing with what to be a male or female. I feel we should give them the support and a loving environment they need to grow into a healthy adult. I understand that the brain can play a role in this also and that there are so many other factors that can effect a person who is trying to figure out what gender they are.Learning who you are can be hard if you are dealing with a disorder this is when I feel a psychologist should be brought in to help you understand what is going on in your References: Lazarre, S. (2008). Biological Foundation of Psychology. 11 University of Phoenix, Arizona Pinel, J. P. J. (2009). Biopsychology (7th ed. ). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Roberts, C. (2000, Fall). Biological behavior? Hormonoes, psychology, and sex. Wickens, A (2005). Foundations of Biopsychology. (2nd ed. ). Harlow, England: Pearson Prentice Hall mind and give you medication if that is what is needed.

Adoption from China vs the United States Essay

When a couple begins to explore the idea of adopting a child, it is easy for them to quickly become overwhelmed with information, questions and decisions. One of the first dilemmas couples face is whether to pursue international adoption or domestic adoption. By thoroughly researching and weighing both options, a couple can decide whether international or domestic adoption is best for their family. Some of the requirements that must be met to adopt in China include marital Status, only married couples with marriage defined as between a man and a woman, who have been married for at least 2 years are able to adopt from China. If either has been divorced, the couple must be married for 5 years before considering adopting from China. No more than two divorces are allowed; the age of prospective adoptive parents must be between 30 and 44 years old to adopt babies around 1 year old. Prospective adoptive parents can be between the ages of 30 and 50 for other children (about. com, 2012); Educational requirement for both parents are that they must have a H. S. diploma or vocational training. Typically from start to finish it will take 36-48 months for the adoption to be final. The biggest factor influencing the wait for a child is the time it takes the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) to make a referral to a family. The current referral time is approximately eight months after the detailed prospective parents files are submitted and registered with the CCAA. The cost to adopt from China is not inexpensive; it can run $20,000 to $40,000, including travel. This cost also covers registration and program fees, applications, and home study fees, necessary paperwork and background checks, just to name a few. Medical records of children adopted internationally are often minimal, if available at all. Information regarding the social history of the child’s birth parents, such as family medical history is also often unavailable (the Adoption Guide, 2012). In comparison, some of the requirements to adopt in the United States include marital status; couples do not have to be married to adopt; however, it will be easier for them to adopt if they are married. If the adopting parent is married, a minimum of a three year marriage is a common requirement; the minimum legal age to adopt is generally 18 years of age to 40 years of age. In most situations, however, there will be a requirement that the adopting parents must be at least 20 years older than the child they are seeking to adopt; history of employment stability, and the prospect of future employment stability, are always considered to be big plusses in the eyes of birthparents; there is a thorough background check done in an attempt to uncover evidence of any prior legal or criminal problems, or any problems with child abuse, financial instability, or substance abuse. The average time from preparation of portfolio to match with a birthmother can vary from 3 months (this being the majority) to being longer than 24 months; this includes time spent in false starts. The final adoption decree is usually finalized 6 months after the placement of the child with an adoptive family. The cost of adoption in the United States can range from $5,000 to $40,000 for agency and private adoptions. The cost includes; Agency applications nd program fees, attorney fees, birthmothers expenses, and travel just to name a few. One very large legal concern in domestic adoption is that in an attorney-facilitated adoption, a birth parent can try to withdraw consent to the adoption before the final adoption decree goes into effect, which is six months after placement. To exercise this right to withdraw consent, a birth parent must present clear and convincing evidence that the â€Å"best interests of the child† have changed (adoption. com, 2012). Furthermore, the numbers of children in China awaiting adoption has dropped significantly in the past few years. In 2006, about 6,493 Chinese orphans came to the United States; in 2011 only 2,587 children were adopted. The belief for the decline is the rather strict adoption requirement that have been placed on prospective parents. Despite the fact that we live in one of the most fortunate nations in the world, there are 115,000 children in the U. S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Unfortunately some of these children are waiting because they are difficult to place due to their age, the fact that they are part of a sibling group, or their disability. The total number of children worldwide who are orphaned and waiting to be is approximately 2. 2 billion. Out of those 2. 2 billion children, 16 million children are estimated to be orphans. How do you even wrap your brain around that many parent-less children? The total number of children adopted worldwide each year, out of those 16 million orphans, is a mere 250,000. These numbers are pretty overwhelming when you think about it (the Adoption Guide, 2012). The decision between domestic adoptions vs. international adoptions only scratches the surface of this big decision. Because a family’s experience with adopting from China will be very different from a family adopting from the United States, it is difficult to describe what to expect in either situation. Couples should fully research each of these adoption venues and then weigh their options to see which best matches their adoption plan.

Mexican American War Essay

Mexican American War Essay Mexican American War Essay Jessie Moore May 31, 2014 Group F Was The United States Justified in Going to War with Mexico? Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? Or in other words were the reasons we decided to go into war with Mexico based on pure fact and out of good for both countries? No, the United States was wrong to go to war with Mexico. We provoked and disrespected them, and we were nothing but greedy ourselves. There are many articles to back up these statements that I will be going into. â€Å"On April 24th a party of sixty ­three men and officers were dispatched from the American camp up to the Rio Del Norte, on its North bank, to ascertain whether the Mexican troops had crossed, or were preparing to cross the river. They were engaged with a larger body of these Mexican troops, and, after a short while, some sixteen Americans were killed and wounded.† (Document B, War Message of President James K. Polk.) The U.S. tried to put all the blame on Mexico for the attack. What really happened is stated by Jesus Velasco ­Marquez in â€Å"A Mexican Viewport on the War With the United States.† (Document C.) To start it off, related to the annexation of Texas by the United States, it says the Mexican government felt it was inadmissible for both legal and security reasons. And what really happened the day of April 24th (in the eyes of the Mexican government) was that the mobilization of the US army at the Rio Grande across from the city of Matamoros was an outright attack on Mexico. Feeling threatened, the Mexican government reaffirmed the instruction to protect the border by sending troops out to Jessie Moore May 31, 2014 Group F do just that, protect. This goes to show the true details of that day, not just the parts the U.S. highlighted to make themselves seem like the victim. After achieving independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico made slavery illegal. During this time, citizens of the United States began moving to Texas , with the idea being that the â€Å"extensive province ought to become a part of the United Sates,† (Document D.) â€Å"A current of emigration soon followed from the United States. Slaveholders crossed the river between Louisiana and Texas with their slaves, in defiance of the Mexican ordinance of freedom. Restless spirits, discontentented at home†¦ joined them†¦ The work of rebellion spread.†  ­Charles Sumner, â€Å"Objections to the Mexican ­American War.† Even though Americans who live in the United States are used

How to Define Anode and Cathode

How to Define Anode and Cathode Heres a look at the difference between the anode and cathode of a cell or battery and how you can remember which is which. Keeping Them Straight Remember the cathode attracts cations or the cathode attracts charge. The anode attracts negative charge. Flow of Current The anode and cathode are defined by the flow of current. In the general sense, current refers to any movement of electrical charge. However, you should keep in mind the convention that current direction is according to where a positive charge would move, not a negative charge. So, if electrons do the actual moving in a cell, then current runs the opposite direction. Why is it defined this way? Who knows, but thats the standard. Current flows in the same direction as positive charge carriers, for example, when positive ions  or protons carry the charge. Current flows opposite the direction of negative charge carriers, such as electrons in metals. Cathode The cathode is the negatively charged electrode.The cathode attracts cations or positive charge.The cathode is the source of electrons or an electron donor. It may accept positive charge.Because the cathode may generate electrons, which typically are the electrical species doing the actual movement, it may be said that cathodes generate charge or that current moves from the cathode to the anode. This can be confusing, because the direction of current would be defined by the way a positive charge would move. Just remember, any movement of charged particles is current. Anode The anode is the positively charged electrode.The anode attracts electrons or anions.The anode may be a source of positive charge or an electron acceptor. Cathode and Anode Remember, charge can flow either from positive to negative or from negative to positive! Because of this, the anode could be positively charged or negatively charged, depending on the situation. The same is true for the cathode.

Life of Margaret Paston, English Matriarch

Life of Margaret Paston, English Matriarch Margaret Paston (also known as  Margaret Mautby Paston) is noted for her strength and fortitude as an English wife born in the Middle Ages, who took on her husbands duties while he was away and held her family together through disastrous events. Margaret Paston was born in 1423 to a prosperous landowner in Norfolk. She was chosen by William Paston, an even more prosperous landowner and lawyer, and his wife Agnes, as a suitable wife for their son John. The young couple met for the first time in April 1440, after the match had been arranged, and they were wed sometime before December 1441. Margaret frequently managed her husbands properties when he was away and even faced armed forces who physically ejected her from the household.   Her ordinary yet extraordinary life  would be almost completely unknown to us but for the Paston Family Letters, a collection of documents that span more than 100 years in the lives of the Paston family. Margaret wrote 104 of the letters, and through these and the responses she received, we can easily gauge her standing in the family, her relationships with her in-laws, husband and children, and, of course, her state of mind. Events both catastrophic and mundane are also revealed in the letters, as is the Paston familys relationships with other families and their status in society. Although the bride and groom had not made the choice, the marriage was apparently a happy one, as the letters clearly reveal: I pray you that you will wear the ring with the image of St. Margaret that I sent you for a remembrance till you come home. You have left me such a remembrance that makes me to think upon you both day and night when I would sleep. -Letter from Margaret to John, Dec. 14, 1441 The remembrance would be born sometime before April and was only the first of seven children to live to adulthood- another sign of, at the very least, enduring sexual attraction between Margaret and John. But the bride and groom were frequently separated, as John went away on business and Margaret, quite literally, held down the fort. This was not at all unusual, and for the historian, it was somewhat fortuitous, as it afforded the couple opportunities to communicate by letters that would outlast their marriage by several centuries. The first conflict that Margaret endured took place in 1448 when she took residence in the manor of Gresham. The property had been purchased by William Paston, but Lord Moleyns laid claim to it, and while John was away in London Moleyns forces violently ejected Margaret, her men-at-arms and her household. The damage they did to the property was extensive, and John submitted a petition to the king (Henry VI) in order to get recompense, but Moleyns was too powerful and did not pay. The manor was ultimately restored in 1451. Similar events took place in the 1460s when the Duke of Suffolk raided Hellesdon and the Duke of Norfolk besieged Caister Castle. Margarets letters show her steely resolve, even as she entreats her family for assistance: I greet you well, letting you know that your brother and his fellowship stand in great jeopardy at Caister, and lack vitual . . . and the place is sore broken by the guns of the other party; so that, unless they have hasty help, they are like to lose both their lives and the place, to the greatest rebuke to you that ever came to any gentleman, for every man in this country marvels greatly that you suffer them to be so long in such great jeopardy without help or other remedy. -Letter from Margaret to her son John, Sept. 12, 1469 Margarets life was not all turmoil. She also involved herself, as was common, in the lives of her grown children. She mediated between her eldest and her husband when the two fell out: I understand . . . that you do not want your son to be taken into your house, nor helped by you . . . For Gods sake, sir, have pity on him, and remember you it hath been a long season since he had anything of you to help him with, and he hath obeyed him to you, and will do at all times, and will do what he can or may to have your good fatherhood . . . -Letter from Margaret to John, April 8, 1465 She also opened negotiations for her second son (also named John) and several prospective brides, and when her daughter entered into an engagement without Margarets knowledge, she threatened to put her out of the house. (Both children were ultimately wed in apparently stable marriages.) Margaret lost her husband in 1466, and how she may have reacted historians known little about since John had been her closest literary confidant. After 25 years of successful marriage, it is likely fair to assume her grief was deep, but Margaret had shown her mettle in dire straits and was ready to endure for her family. By the time she was sixty, Margaret began showing signs of serious illness, and in February 1482, she was persuaded to make a will. Much of its content sees to the welfare of her soul and that of her family after her death; she left money to the Church for the saying of masses for herself and her husband, as well as instructions for her burial. But she was also generous to her family and even made bequests to the servants.

Critical reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical reading response - Essay Example He offers three possible solutions for these issues. He states that mandatory attendance should be abolished and replaced with policies allowing kids to attend classes only when they want to. He also suggests removing children from schools, declaring them to be prisons where learning is limited. Additionally, he views that abolishing the curriculum is also a possible solution because people merely remember what they believe is interesting and useful to them. In order to assess the veracity or, at least, appropriateness of Holt’s claims, the major points of his article will be analyzed. First, Holt states that learning is inherent in every human, and that babies learn the basics of living and survival from the day they are born. Without any formal instruction, kids learn to communicate and interact with people around them. They learn through discovery, association, application, and mistakes (Holt, â€Å"School is Bad for Children†). This is a very strong point. Yes we sh ould acknowledge that school provides specialized information of some subject matters, but it does not mean that learning the same is impossible outside school. To prove this, one can simply look at the greatest minds in man’s history like Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, Pierre Curie, the Wright brothers, Thomas Alva Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. These great minds did not acquire their knowledge from traditional schools because they were all home-schooled (McKee 16). Therefore, with the undeniable inherent ability of man to learn coupled with proven achievements of those that never went to school, it is easy to agree with Holt on this matter. Another statement made by Holt is that school environment encourages passive learning, thereby decreasing the utilization of man’s inherent ability to learn through active discovery, association, application, and mistakes. It also encourages the thinking that to be wrong is a crime, and to be right is the only acceptable thin g. In school, students are dictated by the experts on what is important, what they need, and what they should do. Technically, everything is spoon-fed (Holt, â€Å"School is Bad for Children†). Holt is not exaggerating when he states school teaches kids to do something only if they are forced, bribed, or deceived, since school rewards excellence and correctness. Despite the idea that teachers encourage children to analyze and ask, at the end of the day, they still follow a pre-set standard of what is correct and incorrect. Knowing the correct and universally accepted answer is the only way to pass, and passing is the only way to move forward. These standards place children in categories --- stupid, average, or brilliant (McKee 21). Moreover, it gives a false idea that learning and living are separate things that cannot merge together. The live outside the school, and learn inside with the experts. It reinforces the belief that children cannot be trusted to learn on their own --- they need experts to tell them what they should know to be considered knowledgeable and learned (Holt, â€Å"School is Bad for Children†). Holt again presents unquestionably strong arguments on this matter. Everyone who experienced school can relate to a great chunk of Holt’s standpoints. Another controversial statement is Holt’s declaration that schools shut kids’ brains and lead them to vices, particularly drugs. Several people may react negatively

A cultural experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A cultural experience - Essay Example The Geography of China focuses on not only the position of China but also the enormous human source it has in the world. Located in South East Asia it is the third largest country in the world with 6.5% of land area and second largest in population. China has one more self importance in the world of history that is has the oldest civilization background tracing back to 3500 years. It is a mountainous country. Mountains and hills occupy 65% of the total area of China’s Landscape. China has lot of rivers and lakes Yangtze and The Yellow River are the most famous in the world. Nearly 95%of the population dwells in the North and South regions of China. The highest population count is in fact a strong supporting feature of China. The unity among the people had been a supreme cause in the development of China. Religion too has a great significance in China. Buddhism, though came from India initially, took its massive support only from China. As a result artistic and admirable monuments were built in order to set a strong belief in the Buddhist thought. Religion is cooperated with large family organizations. Either the father or husband takes care of the family. Children live with their parents till they get married. After getting married they will be shifted to a separate apartment. Coming to the food culture of China, they give importance to nutritional values. Colors seem to play an important role in the daily intake of China. Chinese associate colors with the main organs of the human body. Color, flavor, and smell have their equal partake and contribution in their food habits. They combine two to three colored ingredients such as green, light green, dark green, red, yellow, white etc added with sauces and cook. The Chinese had a strong traditional belief that type of food has medicinal values in it. A theory called â€Å"harmonization of foods† by Yi Yin reflects on the link between the five flavors and major organs of human body. They are sweet,

Correctional Institution, Criminology major Essay

Correctional Institution, Criminology major - Essay Example Among them is â€Å"protection from cruel and unusual punishment, including sexual harassment and other sex crimes† (Jacobson 118). To discourage sexual abuse in a prison facility, a correctional manager could take some steps by efficiently using the limited resources at their disposal which may include increasing time deducted on sentences for good behavior. This would encourage prisoners to adhere to prison rules with the hope of early release. The prison manager should practice wise deployment of staff taking in consideration the vulnerable locations and high risk times. Rape is a violent crime, therefore, stopping violent activities reduces chances of rape occurring. A correctional manager should endeavor to stop prison gang membership, activity or recruitment. These gangs encourage violent behaviors and operate on codes of silence. The correctional manager should also develop effective institutional policies and processes. These should provide guidelines on what is to be done in case abuse is reported, suspected, found happening or proven. These policies and procedures should instruct on how to deal with of fenders and victims. They should guarantee swift action and protection for the victim. The correctional manager should also encourage programs that prepare prisoners to live a contributing and law-abiding life after incarceration. These programs may incorporate activities that put the prisoners in controlled contact with the free world. This gives them a hint of free life and encourages them to adhere to rules to avoid longer incarceration and pursue early parole. Rape and other sex crimes in prisons occur due to many reasons. Facilities where prisoners are over-crowded have higher incidences of sexual abuse (Freedman 89). Understaffing of correctional facilities makes it hard to monitor prisoners’ activities. This creates space for indulgence in illegal and unethical

Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig Van Beethoven Essay

Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig Van Beethoven - Essay Example Though their lifetimes were relatively close compared to many other composers they lived during different musical times and significantly influenced those styles. Bach's career is best known for his sacred and secular work. His work is considered to encompass all of the Baroque style. While Bach did not introduce any new musical ideas to the Baroque period his work did embrace all that was the Baroque style, though some of his choices can be considered extreme. For example his notation of the complete melodic line, including all flourishes, performers during the Baroque period were presented with the base of the melody and included their own flourishes (Wolffe, C. 381-389). Beethoven music was considered to be extremely important for the transition from the classical to romantic style. His work can be separated into three periods; early (classical period), middle (Heroic period) and late (Romantic period) (Kerman, J., 89-92). Both composers composed many religious works but their utilization of religion and music differs. Much of Bach's work is written for the church or based on religion and he closely tied is music and text. A few examples of this are his motifs in the cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit. The slow repeating notes in the start of the piece Jesus' slow, labored walk as we carried the cross. He also uses many octave leaps, which represent the relationship between heaven and earth. There is also symbolism in his work that is not directly related to the performance. The variation in instrumentation and vocal parts during Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen of St. Matthew's Passion can be seen by some as to form a cross (Wolff, C., 298-303). Beethoven also wrote many religious pieces but his attachment to the church is somewhat less intense than Bach's. Beethoven's religious beliefs are highly debated and though he was raised a roman catholic. While he wrote pieces for the catholic church, the Mass in C and Missa Solemnis being the most famous. The Missa Solemnis was composed in compliance with the standard Musical Catholic Mass. Some of his other work, most notably the ninth symphony contained refers to God and also mythological stories, he refers to the "Elysium" fields (Forbes, E., 880-929). The contribution of Beethoven's works that are considered to be a transition between the classical and romantic styles is his middle or romantic period. His heroic works, which include The Eroica, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eight Symphonies, String quartets 7-11, the Waldstein and Appasionata piano sonatas, and the opera Fidelio, are considered to have extended to scope of classical music. Much of his early period work was based or influenced from Mozart and Hadyn. His middle period work where hugely demanding on the performers. At the time the playing levels of musicians were not consistent as most musical endeavors were sponsored or funded by private individuals. Large symphony orchestras like the New York Philharmonic that play together constantly had not been formed yet. Bach's music did not cause a change in musical styles. Instead his work encompassed much of the Baroque style by bringing his music to a new level. He is noted for his use of contrapuntal technique (the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in rhyme and contour but have harmonic association), his harmonic and melodic structure from a small to large scale, and his incorporation

Global Organizational Behavior And Employee Development Dissertation

Global Organizational Behavior And Employee Development - Dissertation Example The findings of the research indicate that there is a positive relationship between employee development and the organization behavior. Motivation and job satisfaction determine the employees’ contribution to the achievement of the organizational goals. The limitation of this research emanates from the fact that the data used for the analysis is subjective to the human opinions and hence may be untruthful. The recommendation of this study is that the management team in any organization should invest in employee motivation and development to optimize the worker output. The value of this research lies in its ability to provide viable solutions to the reformation of organization behavior. Given that employees form part of the scarce organizational resources, optimizing their output is a priority for any organization that intends to remain productive in the competitive market environment. This paper makes a conclusion that the topic of global of global organizational behavior and employee development is of great importance to the modern organizations, this has not received the amount of attention it deserves from researchers in the present generation. The theories that were developed by classical, and other past theorists on this topic might not be highly relevant to the situation of the modern organization. This is because of the fact that the traditional organization has experienced vast transformations in its structure, and the modern business environment has also experienced various changes, in addition to the needs and living standards of the modern employees.

An investigation of either STRUCTURAL or TECHNOLOGICAL control and Essay

An investigation of either STRUCTURAL or TECHNOLOGICAL control and reactions to it in an organisation - Essay Example $170.9 billion and the net income was US $48.9 billion. Such financial returns could be achieved by the organization only with the help of an organized managerial structure. The human capital of the company is highly efficient and the latter constantly undertakes strategic business initiatives to enhance the skills of its workers. This paper will investigate ways through which the company manages its workforce and also, will discuss the impact of such management on the organization. In the contemporary world, the scope and scale of operations for nearly all organizations in the industry have turned out to be highly complex in nature. Since globalization, the prevalence of giant firms across different marketplaces has significantly increased (Stoica, 2010). It has been commented by analysts in the market that such high degree of internalization in business is feasible by firms, only with the assistance of a good managerial structure and technological development. This paper will concentrate on the managerial structure of the organization, Apple Inc., which is a giant multinational organization based in California. It engages in designing, developing and retailing of electronics, personal computers and computer software. Since its inception in 1976, the organization could achieve such high brand value among all its business stakeholders, only through efficient managerial expertise (Apple, 2013). Giant multinational companies possess a vast organizational structure for operating all its business branches across various nations. Figure 1 in the Appendix explains the general form of organizational structure that exists in every multinational company. However, there are five main types of structure: However, ethical issues in research were given high value by the researcher. All the personal information and data collected from each of the employees were, thus, highly confined and were not disclosed in public (Mukherji and Albon, 2009). The research

Global Organizational Behavior And Employee Development Dissertation

Global Organizational Behavior And Employee Development - Dissertation Example The findings of the research indicate that there is a positive relationship between employee development and the organization behavior. Motivation and job satisfaction determine the employees’ contribution to the achievement of the organizational goals. The limitation of this research emanates from the fact that the data used for the analysis is subjective to the human opinions and hence may be untruthful. The recommendation of this study is that the management team in any organization should invest in employee motivation and development to optimize the worker output. The value of this research lies in its ability to provide viable solutions to the reformation of organization behavior. Given that employees form part of the scarce organizational resources, optimizing their output is a priority for any organization that intends to remain productive in the competitive market environment. This paper makes a conclusion that the topic of global of global organizational behavior and employee development is of great importance to the modern organizations, this has not received the amount of attention it deserves from researchers in the present generation. The theories that were developed by classical, and other past theorists on this topic might not be highly relevant to the situation of the modern organization. This is because of the fact that the traditional organization has experienced vast transformations in its structure, and the modern business environment has also experienced various changes, in addition to the needs and living standards of the modern employees.

Talent Management Strategic Plan Talent for Candlelight. Inc Essay

Talent Management Strategic Plan Talent for Candlelight. Inc - Essay Example The gaps that need to be filled in the company’s HRM include motivation of employees, retention, training, and development, and commitment.This involves an analysis of where the organization is now, and where it should be in future in terms of talent management. The gaps that need to be filled in the company’s HRM include motivation of employees, retention, training, and development, and commitment.4. Develop Internal Talent PoolsDeveloping internal talent pools enhances employee retention and commitment and reduces employee turnover. It involves training and development, motivation through compensation and rewards, and creating work-life balance.5. Attracting and Building External talent to replace those employees who have left, the company should attract experienced, qualified and committed employees. One of the mechanisms to do that is to build the image of the company and an employer brand that can attract the best talent. Diversity should also be considered. To bui ld external talent, the company should also engage students who are still undergoing their studies through internship programs.  6. Building Organizational CultureThe company should also build on elements of organizational culture and work environment to enhance employee satisfaction and retention.  7. Assessing and Evaluating Performance  After all the above have been done, the company should measure the results of the talent management program and communicate the successes and failures encountered (Newfoundland and Labrador, 2008).

Corporate Ethical Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Corporate Ethical Responsibility Essay CARSI Inc. has long since served the business world since 1922 where it first introduced products and services that are economically acceptable to large-scale markets as well as small business ventures all over the world. These high-tech products include industrial machineries and large-scale shipping vessels that provide business transactions and trading. But the dawn of the Prohibition during the 1930’s forced CARSI Inc. into revising its corporate strategy. While surviving and maintaining industrial and trading quality from the 1930’s up to the present, CARSI Inc. has also opened new avenues of business ventures and management opportunities that gave rise to the CARSI Management and Training Division (CARSI-MTD). Founded in the 1990’s, CARSI-MTD is an outsourcing company that not only provides world-class training programs and strategies but also provides multitude of careers opportunities to the young, aspiring individuals as well as professionals alike. Its main goal is to provide a wide range of training and development programs that will enable more perspectives in business management, Human Resource practices, career development, and corporate business responsibility. As such, CARSI-MTD has produced top-caliber CEOs, executives, top-management officers, and leading theorists in the business practice through an extensive learning program that centers on intellectual development and practical application. CARSI Inc. and CARSI-MTD as of 1999, became a member of the prestigious Fortune-500 group of companies with a total net worth of over $5-billion. Also, CARSI Inc. has provided financial assistance as well as business development in third-world countries by providing a pioneering effort of encouraging small-scale businesses as a means of livelihood and societal development. To date, CARSI-MTD maintains high-standards, quality, and value over employees which are the essential of corporate success. Vision To be a corporate-responsible company that provide business career opportunities, investments, career growth, and quality management practices for aspiring professionals around the world. Mission To introduce to the business world a new perspective of business practices through social awareness, ethical business practices, theoretical business development, and personnel growth and satisfaction. To bring about change in labor-oriented companies through proper compensation, security, and benefits. Products and Services CARSI-MTD offers a wide range of products and services, specifically designed by CARSI Inc. to meet the standards of a globally-competitive market. These products include: CARSI-MTD Learning Institute – a company investment which further applies management, human resource careers into further study and forming theoretical frameworks that can be applied in real-world cases or situations, specifically on labor, personnel management, and human resources. Training Materials/Programs – in line with its Vision-Mission statement, the company also provides scholarly articles made by certified professionals that serve the benefit of schools, colleges, and universities that specialize on management courses. Practical Application Procedure (PRACP) – a unique development of CARSI-MTD which aims to apply methods of learning to practical methods in developing countries that stabilize economic problems, help cultivate Foreign Direct Investments and, maximizing country growth output. Cultural Responsibility The company’s moral responsibility lies firstly on the company’s purpose. The company aims to produce good business practices by maintaining high-standards of quality that ensures a sound and ethically acceptable ethical behaviour in companies. By enforcing quality, principle, idealism, and perfection into the standards set by the company, it presents an alternate and relative effect on businesses and corporations around the world. Second, the company aims to maximize profit of its stakeholders, without compromising personal, social, or cultural issues. Guiding Principles â€Å"Organizations must recognize the rights and interest of various stakeholders – not only stockholders and employees but also outsiders affected by the company’s actions† (Sims 2003, p.40). This is the main ethical principle for the company as it aims to not only protect shareholder and stockholder interests but also to take into consideration the company’s actions. The company assures job satisfaction among its employees, an ample amount of investment for stockholders, ensuring proper adherence to legislations and laws through different international governments, proper benefits for union members, fair competition, and being a responsible citizen in a communal aspect as well as affecting a change on the quality of life. The following are the main points of social responsibility of CARSI-MTD: Shareholders: An active participation on the distribution of profit, right to elect board of directors, transfer of stock, inspection of company books,etc. Employees: Economic and psychological satisfaction with employment. Protection from political or physical imputations of company officers. Fringe benefits. Right to the formation of a union and forming Collective Bargaining Agreements. Conducive working environment and conditions. Customers: Quality services through high standards (e.g. product knowledge, assurance). Reliable warranties. Extensive Research and Development Program. Unions: Recognizing as a legitimate bargaining agent of between employees and the employer. Competition: Recognizing the normative functions of a healthy, competitive business environment as dictated by the industry and organization. Governments: Proper adherence to taxes, public policies (fair and free trade) and the labor code. Society: Act as company that contributes to social formation a well as healthy environment in small communities, provision of unbiased employment, cultural and financial initiatives, charities etc. (Sims 2003, p.41). In the internal aspect, the company is guided by the following professional ethics: Accounting The company considers a strict compliance to company rule and policy to avoid creative accounting and misleading financial predictions and analyses, manipulation of company resources, black market trading, excess executive compensation, bribery, etc. Human Resources As a company aimed to provide opportunities to all, the Human Resource practice of the company strictly follows an anti-discrimination policy as well as adhering to local and international business laws with regard to age, gender, race, religion, among others. Also, the company maintains a healthy working environment by providing suitable working conditions. In addition, the company provides heavy penalties for office politicking, blackmailing and invasions of privacy. As such, company policies also state an assurance on occupational safety and health, transparency, and individual freedom. Sales and Marketing Marketing policy of the company is determined to reduce price fixing, discrimination and skimming through a more social and moral introduction to different alternatives and methods. Also, the company blatantly refuses advertisements and marketing strategies that manipulate the nature of sex, provide subliminal messages or exposing children, sexual orientation in its corporate strategies. Principles for Consideration Corporate Social Responsibility is the main guiding ideology in the formation of a Code of Ethics. â€Å"CSR requires the continuing commitment by business to behaving ethically and contributing to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families, as well as community and society at large† (Sims 2003, p. 43). What CSR provides is a corporate ideology of the company as it aims to form the an ideology that is aimed at social and economical development rather than a pure capitalist view. Through a social initiative, the company has a purpose to exist morally and ethically as it aims to support social causes and awareness through fundraising and volunteerism, among others. However, the problem lies when CSR is taken for granted when it is the company’s duty to be socially aware and responsible.

Pie in the Sky :: Essays Papers

Pie in the Sky Among the oddballs and exhibitionists who clustered around Andy Warhol in the 1960's and 70's perhaps the scariest was Brigid Berlin, a chubby, motormouthed rebel from an upper-crust New York City family who relished the way her "underground" celebrity embarrassed her proper conservative parents. Her father, Richard Berlin, a friend of Richard M. Nixon and an admirer of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, ran the Hearst Corporation, which he had helped save from bankruptcy in the 40's. Her mother, Honey, was an elegant, ladies-who-lunch-style socialite of the old school. Ms. Berlin was one of Warhol's favorite telephone companions, and she taped hundreds of hours of their conversations, some of which were adapted into a play called "Pork" that flaunted the Berlin family strife. Like many of Warhol's acolytes, she fancied herself an artist and was one of the first art world personages to work with a portable tape recorder and Polaroid snapshots (she specialized in double exposures). Her more notorious antics included a theatrical performance in which she telephoned her parents from the stage without their knowledge and broadcast live her mother's furious tirade about her lifestyle and choice of friends. That lifestyle included an addiction to speed (in the 1966 Warhol movie, "The Chelsea Girls," she played a pill-pushing lesbian who shoots up in front of the camera) as well as an eating disorder that pushed her weight to 260 pounds. Despite her obesity, Ms. Berlin often appeared nude in Warhol's movies, displaying not a trace of self-consciousness. Excerpts from her taped conversations with Warhol and with her mother run through "Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story," Shelly Dunn Fremont and Vincent Fremont's unsettling close-up portrait of Ms. Berlin, which opens today at the Film Forum. This fascinating but somewhat repellent documentary repeatedly contrasts interviews with Ms. Berlin filmed two years ago when she turned 60 with excerpts from the mostly black-and-white Warhol films in which she radiated the aggressive ferocity of a B-movie prison matron. Much slimmer today than in the Warhol years, Ms. Berlin, who lives on the East Side of Manhattan with two dogs, looks sleek and matronly at 60. But when she reminisces, it becomes clear that she retains a lust for the spotlight along with a continuing inability to edit what comes out of her mouth. As she chattily recounts a life of squandered privilege and wasted opportunity, the movie casts a bitter chill.

Child Maltreatment Essay -- Social Issues, Child Abuse

Child maltreatment is a widespread issue that affects thousands of children every year. There are four common types of child maltreatment; sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. All of these types of abuse are very serious and can have many consequences for the children and families. The most common consequence of severe child maltreatment is the removal of that child from their home (Benbenishty, Segev, Surkis, and Elias, 2002). Most social workers trying to determine the likelihood of removal evaluate the type and severity of abuse, as well as the child’s relationship with their parents (Benbenishty et al., 2002). When children are removed from their homes there are many options of alternative housing. The places they are allowed to live are a relative’s home, foster home, or a group home. In a study of children removed from their homes, 68% went to a foster home rather than a relative or another form of alternative housing (Faller, 1991). Reunification with a parent is the most common goal that is set forth by Child Protective Services even though recurrent abuse is likely to happen based upon the prior type of abuse and the age of the child (Connell et al., 2009). Child maltreatment is becoming a prevalent problem that has numerous consequences for both the child and family. The Center of Disease Control and prevention defines child abuse as any act or series of events that results in harm, potential harm or threatens the child’s safety (Webb, 2007). While many people believe that child maltreatment is simply physical many other forms of maltreatment occur; sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment are also common forms of abuse. Domestic Violence is also included in the definition of child maltre... ...l parents as soon as the home is safe again. For some cases recurrent maltreatment occurs when the child is reunified with the biological parents or original caregivers. Children who are abused can display behavioral problems which can impact many areas in their life. They tend to act out at school and have low academic performance (Webb, 2007). They may also internalize their behavior by becoming depressed and showing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Child maltreatment not only affects the child that is being abused, but the family system as well. Some acts of child abuse can be prosecuted with criminal charges which could result in jail time and other serious punishments. Children show the affects of their maltreatment throughout their life through their behaviors. Child abuse is a serious problem that needs to be prohibited by all agencies.

Benefits of Nonverbal Communication Essay

Certain things are not conveyed by words or verbal means because individuals are not simply skilled to deliver or are not trained to explain in appropriate means or symbols. An officer can definitely learn from an understanding of nonverbal communication as he/she will be able to gain the nuances of an offender or parolee’s responses whether these are in consonance with the gaze in his eyes, the confidence of gait, or the studied looks that he may portray during the sessions that might transpire with the officer (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). An officer who has spent a lengthy time studying people in this kind of profession, the difficulty usually lies in studying those who are mentally deranged, or the offenders who are so evil that they are capable to manipulate even the most intelligent officers, when possible. Their eyes convey differently where their talk or smiles carry them to a different level (Carrick, 2006). Art in any form conveys the reality that a human’s world is enriched by the kind of communication inherent in being human. Even one’s attire may speak a million things about the person or his intentions. People communicate both through verbal and nonverbal modes. Though we mistake verbal communication is clearer, yet often the reverse is truer (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). People frequently understand our gestures more than our words. Hence, the adage â€Å"Actions speak louder than words. † Nonverbal communication is taught and performed frequently on an almost instinctive level. People get attention by using nonverbal signals and every so often the attention is usually due to an unpleasant manner by which these signals were conveyed. Most people who employ body language utilize such behavior to conceal the self for fear of rejection. The result would mean no real deep connections and deters other people to develop such deep and beneficial relationships. Many of those who realize their need try to unlearn years of covering up and attempt to make themselves known to avoid (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). Every individual has inadequate stock of body language and utilizes the same manners to show specific emotionality. Body language and/or gestures, and a host of physical and psychological signals take place in clusters. This means that when a particular body language is used, it may not mean much as when it is used alongside many other forms of communication (Messina, Training in Nonverbal Communication). The officer then must continually make use of every opportunity as a learning experience as people are dynamic and continually changing. Reference: Carrick, Damien. 31 January 2006. The Law Report. Parole Boards. Messina, James D. Training in Nonverbal Communication. Accessed from Analysis of Cultural Communication and Proxemics http://www. unl. edu/casetudy/456/traci. htm

Guest Lecture

Distinguished Guests Students and Participants Ladies and Gentlemen Good morning. I am really privileged to have the pleasant task of welcoming the distinguished gathering for today’s guest lecture {on ‘HUMAN RESOURCE APPLICATION IN ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY’}. On behalf of ———– and on my own behalf, I warmly and respectfully welcome the Chief Guest, Hon’ble ——————. We are indeed grateful to him for graciously and readily accepting our invitation.Nevertheless,we are highly honoured that our Hon’ble DEAN(HRD) ———– Sir is amongst us today. As you all know, our DEAN(HRD) Sir , wants to have a vibrant academicatmosphere in the college by conducting various seminars, paper presentations, group discussions and guest lectures. Guest lectures are part and parcel of having such vibrant academic atmosphere. In today's environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately er odes your power.If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it. Thus, Guest Lecture is a way of enriching you students with the latest updates of the Industries and Technicalities. The Students are bestowed with knowledge about Industry needs, latest technical updates, Avenues for Higher studies etc. Todays guest lectures would certainly help us to dwell deep into the subject rather than having a superficial understanding of the subject.I suggest you all to be interactive through out the seminar rather than being passive listeners. The more interest you show the more benefit you gain from this lecture . I don’t want to take much time as I know that you are eagerly waiting to listen to his lecture. Before I conclude, I once again thank the management, DEAN(HRD) sir and the whole team of ——- for setting up a right platform for us to brain storm on this topic. Thank you.

Barriers of Research Utilization for Nurses

C L I N I C A L N U R S I N G IS S U E S Bridging the divide: a survey of nurses’ opinions regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization in the practice setting Alison Margaret Hutchinson BAppSc, MBioeth PhD Candidate, Victorian Centre for Nursing Practice Research, School of Nursing, University of Melbourne, Australia Linda Johnston BSc, PhD, Dip N Professor in Neonatal Nursing Research, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and Associate Director, Victorian Centre for Nursing Practice Research, Melbourne, Australia Submitted for publication: 4 March 2003 Accepted for publication: 29 August 2003Correspondence: Alison M. Hutchinson School of Nursing University of Melbourne 1/723 Swanston St Carlton, VIC 3053 Australia Telephone: ? 61 3 8344 0800 E-mail: [email  protected] com H U T C H I N S O N A . M . & J O H N S T O N L . ( 2 0 0 4 ) Journal of Clinical Nursing 13, 304–315 Bridging the divide: a survey of nurses’ opinions regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization in the practice setting Background. Many researchers have explored the barriers to research uptake in order to overcome them and identify strategies to facilitate research utilization.However, the research–practice gap remains a persistent issue for the nursing profession. Aims and objectives. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of perceived in? uences on nurses’ utilization of research, and explore what differences or commonalities exist between the ? ndings of this research and those of studies that have been conducted in various countries during the past 10 years. Design. Nurses were surveyed to elicit their opinions regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization.The instrument comprised a 29-item validated questionnaire, titled Barriers to Research Utilisation Scale (BARRIERS Scale), an eight-item scale of facilitators, provision for respondents to record additional barriers and /or facilitators and a series of demographic questions. Method. The questionnaire was administered in 2001 to all nurses (n ? 761) working at a major teaching hospital in Melbourne, Australia. A 45% response rate was achieved. Results. Greatest barriers to research utilization reported included time constraints, lack of awareness of available research literature, insuf? ient authority to change practice, inadequate skills in critical appraisal and lack of support for implementation of research ? ndings. Greatest facilitators to research utilization reported included availability of more time to review and implement research ? ndings, availability of more relevant research and colleague support. Conclusion. One of the most striking features of the ? ndings of the present study is that perceptions of Australian nurses are remarkably consistent with reported perceptions of nurses in the US, UK and Northern Ireland during the past decade. Relevance to clinical practice.If the use of res earch evidence in practice results in better outcomes for our patients, this behoves us, as a profession, to address issues surrounding support for implementation of research ? ndings, authority to 304 O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Clinical nursing issues Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization change practice, time constraints and ability to critically appraise research with conviction and a sense of urgency. Key words: barriers to research utilization, facilitators of research utilization, research dissemination, research implementation, research utilizationIntroduction and background For over 25 years research utilization has been discussed in the nursing literature with growing enthusiasm and amid increasing calls for the use of research ? ndings in practice. Additionally, the evidence-based practice movement, which emanated in the early 1990s (Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group, 1992) has highlighted the importance of incorporating research ? ndings into pra ctice. Furthermore, controversy surrounding the achievement of professional status has resulted in an increased awareness of the need for a research-based body of knowledge to underpin nursing practice.Gennaro et al. (2001, p. 314) contend: Using research in practice not only bene? ts patients but also strengthens nursing as a profession. If nursing is truly a profession, and not just a job or an occupation, nurses have to be able to continually evaluate the care they give and be accountable for providing the best possible care. Evaluating nursing care means that nurses also have to evaluate nursing research and determine if there is a better way to provide care. Twelve years prior, Walsh & Ford (1989) warned that the professional integrity of nursing was threatened by dependence upon experience-based practice.Similarly, Winter (1990, p. 138) cautioned that conduct of nursing practice in this manner is ‘the antithesis of professionalism, a barrier to independence, and a detrim ent to quality care. ’ Winter therefore, recommended that nurses ‘evaluate their status as research consumers, to identify problems in this area, and to develop means to better use research ? ndings’ (p. 138). Evidence-based practice, which should comprise the use of broad ranging sources of evidence, including the clinician’s expertise and patient preference (Sackett et al. , 1996), includes the use of research evidence as a subset (Estabrooks, 1999).Consistent with the classi? cation of knowledge utilization, three types of research use have been outlined (Stetler, 1994a,b; Berggren, 1996). The ? rst is described as ‘instrumental use’ and involves acting on research ? ndings in explicit, direct ways, for example application of research ? ndings in the development of a clinical pathway. The second is termed ‘conceptual use’ and involves using research ? ndings in less speci? c ways, for example changing thinking. The ? nal type o f research use, described as ‘symbolic use’, involves the use of research results to support a predetermined position.The nursing literature is replete with examples of limited use of research in practice and discussion surrounding perceived barriers to research utilization (Hunt, 1981; Gould, 1986; Closs & Cheater, 1994; Lacey, 1994). Despite this, the phenomenon of the research–practice gap, the gap between the conduct of research and use of that research in practice, remains an issue of major importance for the nursing profession. Many researchers have explored the barriers to research uptake in order to overcome them and identify strategies to facilitate research utilization (Kirchhoff, 1982; MacGuire, 1990; Funk et al. 1991a,b, 1995b; Closs & Cheater, 1994; Hicks, 1994, 1996; Lacey, 1994; Rizzuto et al. , 1994; Hunt, 1996; Walsh, 1997a,b). Hunt (1981) suggested that nurses fail to utilize research ? ndings because they do not know about them, do not understa nd them, do not believe them, do not know how to apply them, and are not allowed to use them. According to Hunt (1997), the barriers to research utilization and, therefore, to evidence-based practice fall into ? ve main categories: research, access to research, nurses, process of utilization and organization.Self-reported utilization of research is one method that has frequently been implemented to elicit the extent of research utilization. Responses to selected research ? ndings have been used to elicit and explore respondents’ awareness and use of respective ? ndings (Kete? an, 1975; Berggren, 1996). Numerous researchers have also undertaken to investigate, through self-reporting, the opinions of nurses’ in regard to barriers to research utilization in the practice setting. Funk et al. (1991b) explored research utilization in the US using a postal questionnaire titled the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS Scale).Their purpose was to develop a tool to a ssess the perceptions of clinicians, administrators and academics in regard to barriers to research utilization in clinical practice. Rogers’ (1995) model of ‘diffusion of innovations’, a theoretical framework, which describes the process of communication, through certain channels within a social network, of an idea, practice or object over time, was used to develop a 29-item scale. The questionnaire was sent out to a random sample of 5000 members of the American Nurses’ Association with a resulting response rate of 40%. 305O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 A. M. Hutchinson and L. Johnston On the data generated, Funk et al. (1991b) undertook an exploratory factor analysis, to elicit a four-factor solution which closely corresponded with Rogers’ (1995) ‘diffusion of innovations’ model. The factors translated into characteristics of the adopter comprising the nurse’s research values, s kills and awareness; the organization incorporating setting barriers and limitations; the innovation including qualities of the research; and communication including accessibility and presentation of the research.Items associated with the clinical setting, a characteristic of the organization, were perceived as the main barriers to research utilization. These included the views that nurses lack suf? cient authority to implement change; nurses have insuf? cient time to implement change; and there is a lack of cooperation from medical staff. Approximately 21% of the respondents in this study were classi? ed as administrators. Over three quarters of the items on the BARRIERS Scale were rated as great or moderate barriers by over half the administrators. The administrators identi? d factors relating to the nurse, the organizational setting and the presentation of research among the greatest barriers. Overall, they cited the organizational setting as the greatest barrier to research use. Approximately 46% of the respondents were classi? ed as clinicians (nurses working in the clinical setting). The clinicians overwhelmingly identi? ed factors associated with the organizational setting as being the greatest barriers to research utilization. They rated all eight factors associated with the setting in the top 10 barriers to research utilization.The clinicians rated perceived ‘lack of authority to change patient care procedures’, ‘insuf? cient time on the job to implement new ideas’ and being ‘unaware of the research’ as the top three barriers to research utilization. The BARRIERS Scale (Funk et al. , 1991b) has been used extensively since it was developed in 1991, as one method to explore the perceived in? uences on nurses’ utilization of research ? ndings in their practice. At least 17 studies that employed the BARRIERS Scale to elicit opinions of nurses regarding barriers to research utilization in practice have been rep orted in the nursing literature.Most studies reported the barriers in ranked order according to the percentage of respondents who rated items as moderate or great barriers. Insuf? cient time to read research and/or implement new ideas was rated in the top three barriers in 13 studies (Funk et al. , 1991a, 1995a; Carroll et al. , 1997; Dunn et al. , 1997; Lewis et al. , 1998; Nolan et al. , 1998; Rutledge et al. , 1998; Retsas & Nolan, 1999; Closs et al. , 2000; Parahoo, 2000; Retsas, 2000; Grif? ths et al. , 2001; Marsh et al. , 2001; Parahoo & McCaughan, 2001).A perceived lack of authority to change patient care procedures was reported in the top three barriers in eight studies (Funk et al. , 1991a; Walsh, 1997a; Nolan 306 et al. , 1998; Closs et al. , 2000; Parahoo, 2000; Retsas, 2000; Marsh et al. , 2001; Parahoo & McCaughan, 2001). In eight studies, the item ‘statistical analyses are not understandable’, was cited in the top three barriers (Funk et al. , 1995b; Dunn et al. , 1997; Walsh, 1997a,b; Rutledge et al. , 1998; Parahoo, 2000; Grif? ths et al. , 2001; Marsh et al. , 2001). ‘Inadequate facilities for implementation’ was cited in the top three barriers in ? e studies (Kajermo et al. , 1998; Nolan et al. , 1998; Retsas, 2000; Grif? ths et al. , 2001; Marsh et al. , 2001). Finally, the item ‘lack of awareness of research ? ndings’ was reported in the top three barriers in four studies (Funk et al. , 1991a, 1995a; Carroll et al. , 1997; Lewis et al. , 1998; Retsas & Nolan, 1999). It is acknowledged that these studies comprised varying populations of nurses, employed differing sampling methods, used sample sizes ranging from 58 to 1368 respondents and resultant response rates ranged from 27 to 76%.In some studies, minor rewording of a limited number of items in the tool had been undertaken. Furthermore, some studies included only 28 of 29 barrier items included in the original BARRIERS Scale. Factor analysis, a stat istical technique aimed at reducing the number of variables by grouping those that relate, to form relatively independent subgroups (Crichton, 2001; Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001), was undertaken in a limited number of these studies. In the UK, Dunn et al. (1997) tested the factor model proposed by Funk et al. (1991b), using con? rmatory factor analysis, a complex statistical technique used to test a heory or model (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001). Attempts to load each item onto a single identi? ed factor were found to be unsuccessful and they concluded that the US model was inappropriate for their data. Closs & Bryar (2001) further explored the appropriateness of the BARRIERS Scale for use in the UK through exploratory factor analysis. The model identi? ed included the following four factors: bene? ts of research for practice, quality of research, accessibility of research, and resources for implementation. Finally, Marsh et al. (2001) tested, using con? matory factor analysis, a revised v ersion of the BARRIERS Scale. The revision comprised minor changes in wording such as substitution of the term ‘administrator’ with the term ‘manager’. A factor structure that was not possible to interpret resulted and they concluded that the model proposed by Funk et al. (1991b) was not supported and had limited subscale validity in the UK setting. In the light of these ? ndings and those of Dunn et al. (1997), Marsh et al. (2001) suggested that the factor model arising from the original BARRIERS Scale was not sustained in the international context.However, in Australia, Retsas & Nolan (1999) undertook an exploratory factor analysis resulting in a three-factor solution comprising: (i) nurses’ perceptions about the usefulness of research in O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 Clinical nursing issues Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization clinical practice, (ii) generating change to practice based on research, and (iii) accessibility of research. Again, in Australia, a four-factor solution arose from another exploratory factor analysis undertaken by Retsas (2000).The resulting factors were conceptualized as: accessibility of research ? ndings, anticipated outcomes of using research, organizational support to use research, and support from others to use research. Given these ? ndings in the Australian context, an exploratory factor analysis was employed in the present study to explore what model would arise from data generated using the BARRIERS Scale. The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of perceived in? uences on nurses’ utilization of research in a particular practice setting, and explore what differences or commonalities exist between the ? dings of this research and those of studies which have been conducted during the past 10 years in various countries around the world. This study was undertaken as part of a larger study designed to exp lore the phenomenon of research utilization by nurses in the clinical setting. The relative importance of barrier and facilitator items and the factor model arising from this data will in? uence development of future stages of this larger study. who then took responsibility for distribution. It cannot be guaranteed, however, that this process in fact resulted in all nurses receiving the questionnaire.The questionnaire included the 29-item BARRIERS Scale in addition to an eight-item facilitator scale and a series of demographic questions. The respondents were asked to return completed questionnaires in the self-addressed envelope supplied, by either placing them in the internal mail or placing them in the ‘return’ box supplied in their ward or department. Return of completed questionnaires implied consent to participate and all responses were anonymous. Setting The setting for this study was a 310-bed major teaching hospital offering specialist services in Melbourne, Aus tralia. SampleApproximately 960 nurses work in the organization. All Registered Nurses working during the 4-week distribution time frame were invited to complete the questionnaire. This self-selecting, convenience sample therefore, excluded nurses on leave at the time of the study. The study The research question addressed in this study was: What are nurses’ perceptions of the barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization in the practice setting? Instrument The questionnaire comprised three sections. The ? rst section contained the 29 randomly ordered items from the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (Funk et al. 1991b), which respondents were asked to rate, on a four-point Likert type scale, the extent to which they believed each item was a barrier to their use of research in practice. The options included 1 ? ‘to no extent’, 2 ? ‘to a little extent’, 4 ? ‘to a moderate extent’ and 5 ? ‘to a large extent’. A â €˜no opinion’ ? 3 option was also given. The respondents were then asked to nominate and rate (1 ? greatest barrier, 2 ? second greatest barrier, and 3 ? third greatest barrier) the items they considered to be the top three barriers.Further to this, the respondents were given the opportunity to list and rate, according to the above-mentioned Likert scale, any additional items they perceived to be barriers. The second section of the survey contained eight items (Table 4), which respondents were asked to rate according to the extent to which they considered them to be a facilitator of research utilization using the Likert scale described above. The respondents were also asked to nominate and rate, from 1 to 3, the items they considered to be the three greatest facilitators of research utilization.Again, the respondents were given the opportunity to list and rate, according to the 307 Method A survey design was chosen to elicit opinions of nurses. This method was selected bec ause the ‘BARRIERS Scale’, a validated questionnaire, based on the work of Funk et al. (1991b), and designed to elicit nurses’ views about barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization in their practice, was found to have high reliability. Approval to use the tool was gained from the authors. Permission was also given to include questions crafted by the investigators to elicit nurses’ opinions about facilitators of research utilization.Approval to conduct the project was sought and granted by the hospital research ethics committee to ensure the rights and dignity of all respondents were protected. Nurses working during the 4-week survey distribution time frame (n ? 761) were invited to complete the self-administered questionnaire. It was intended that every nurse receive a personally addressed envelope containing the questionnaire and a self-addressed return envelope. To facilitate this, the envelopes were hand delivered to a nominated nurse on ea ch ward or department O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315A. M. Hutchinson and L. Johnston Likert scale, perceived facilitators not listed in the survey. Section 3 of the survey included a series of demographic questions. Validity Content validity, i. e. whether the questions in the tool accurately measure what is supposed to be measured (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 1998), of the instrument was supported by the literature on research utilization, the research utilization questionnaire developed by the Conduct and Utilization of Research in Nursing Project (Crane et al. , 1977), and data gathered from nurses. Input was also gained from experts in the ? ld of research utilization, nursing research, nursing practice and a psychometrician to establish face validity, i. e. whether the tool appears to measure the concept intended (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 1998), and content validity from an extensive list of potential items. Those items for which face and content validity were established were retained. Further to piloting of the instrument, two additional items were included and some minor rewording of other items resulted. The BARRIERS Scale has been found to have good reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coef? ients of between 0. 65 and 0. 80 for the four factors, and item-total correlations from 0. 30 to 0. 53 (Funk et al. , 1991b). Cronbach’s alpha is a measure of internal consistency, which is related to the reliability of the instrument. A Cronbach’s alpha of †¡0. 7 is considered to be good. Internal consistency is the extent to which items in the scale measure the same concept (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 1998). Item total correlations refer to the relationship between the question or item and the total scale score (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 1998). Data analysisData analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 10. 0; SPSS Inc. , Chicago, IL, USA) software. Frequency and descriptive statistics were employed to describe the demographic characteristics of respondents. Analysis of these data indicated that a wide cross section of nursing staff responded to the questionnaire. Factor analytic procedures were employed to reduce the 29 barrier items to factors. The ‘no opinion’ responses (coded to be in the centre of the scale) were included in the factor analytic procedure, on the basis of statistical advice.Suitability of the data for undertaking factor analysis is determined by testing for sampling adequacy and sphericity. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy at 0. 83 was in excess of the recommended value of 0. 6 (Kaiser, 1974), indicating that the 308 correlations or factor loadings, which re? ect the strength of the relationship between barrier items, were high. The Bartlett test of sphericity at 2118. 3 was statistically signi? cant (P < 0. 001). On the basis of these results, factor analysis was considered appropriate.The factor analysis method employed consisted of principal component analysis (PCA), a method of reducing a number of variables (barrier items) to groupings to aid interpretation of the underlying relationships between the variables (Crichton, 2000) whilst capturing as much of the variance in the data as possible. PCA revealed eight components with an eigenvalue exceeding one, indicating that up to eight factors could be retained in the ? nal factor solution. Inspection of the scree plot, a plot of the variance encompassed by the factors, failed to provide a clear indication for the number of factors to include.Eight factors were considered too many to be meaningful, thus factor solutions from two to seven factors were explored. A solution comprising four factors was considered most meaningful. Examination of the factor loadings was then undertaken to determine which items belonged to each factor. Consistent with the procedure employed by Funk et al. (1991b), items were considered to have loaded if they had a factor loading of 0. 4 or more. Varimax rotation, a statistical method employed to simplify and aid interpretation of factors, was then applied.Whilst factor analysis assists in reducing the number of variables to groupings and aids in interpretation of the underlying structure of the data, it does not identify the relative importance of individual items. Thus, while one factor may account for the largest amount of variance in the factor solution it does not mean that the items within that factor are the greatest barriers to research utilization. In order to determine the relative signi? cance of each barrier item, the number of respondents who reported them as a moderate or great barrier was calculated and items were ranked accordingly.Additional barriers recorded by participants were grouped thematically. Similarly, to determine the relative signi? cance of each facilitator item, the number of respondents who reported them as a moderate or great facilitator was calculated and items were ranked accordingly. Additional facilitators recorded by participants were grouped thematically. Results Demographics A total of 317 nurses returned the questionnaires, representing a 45% response rate, assuming that all nurses did, in fact, receive a personally addressed envelope. The age range of respondents was 43 years (minimum ? 1 years, O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 Clinical nursing issues Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization maximum ? 64 years) while the range in years since registration was 42 years. The demographic characteristics of the nurses (Table 1) were consistent with those of the State of Victoria’s nursing workforce (The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1999). Factor analysis A four-factor solution was selected as the most appropriate model arising from PCA of the 29 barrier items. This accounted for 39. % of the total variance in re sponses to all barrier items. The factor groupings including the loading for each barrier item and the titles allocated to each factor are included in Table 2. According to the correlation coef? cient or factor loading measure of †¡0. 4, two items, ‘research reports/articles are not published fast enough’, and ‘the research has not been replicated’, failed to load on any of the four factors. Table 1 Nurse demographics (n ? 317) Variable Gender Male Female Missing Age (years) Experience Registered Nurse (years) Clinical experience (years) Years since most recent quali? ation Highest quali? cation Division 2 certi? cate for registration Division 1 hospital certi? cate for registration Tertiary diploma/degree for registration Specialist nursing certi? cate Graduate diploma Masters by coursework Masters by research Others (including education and management quali? cations) Missing Principle job function Clinical Administrative Research Education Others Mis sing Research experience Yes No Missing N (%) Mean (SD) 24 (7. 6) 291 (91. 8) 2 (0. 6) 33. 8 (9. 73) 12. 6 (9. 95) 11. 35 (8. 8) 4. 28 (6. 52) 14 (4. 4) 23 (7. 3) 104 (32. 8) 26 34 9 1 87 (8. 2) (10. 7) (2. 8) (0. 3) (27. ) Factor 1, comprising eight items with loadings of 0. 73 to 0. 43, includes items relating to characteristics of the organization that in? uence research-based change. Eight items loaded onto factor 2 with loadings of 0. 66 to 0. 40. These items are associated with qualities of research and potential outcomes associated with the implementation of research ? ndings. Factor 3 with seven items loading 0. 60 to 0. 41, relates to the nurse’s research skills, beliefs and role limitations. Factor four refers to communication and accessibility of research ? ndings onto which ? ve items loaded 0. 67 to 0. 42.The four factor groupings comprising setting, nurse, research and presentation, generated in the US study 10 years ago (Funk et al. , 1991b), were similar to gr oupings that arose from factor analysis in the present study (Table 2). Cronbach’s alphas were calculated for each factor generated. For factors 1–3 the alpha coef? cients were 0. 75, 0. 74 and 0. 70, respectively, demonstrating good reliability. The alpha coef? cient for factor 4 was lower at 0. 54. The total scale alpha was 0. 86, which indicates that the scale can be considered reliable with this sample. Item-total correlations ranged from 0. 1 to 0. 60. Although a low correlation between some items and the total score was evident, deleting any of these items would have resulted in a reduction in reliability of the scale. Relative importance of barrier and facilitator items The percentages of items perceived by nurses’ as great or moderate barriers are summarized in Table 3. The respondents were also given the opportunity to list and rate any additional perceived barriers not included in the questionnaire. About 27% (85) of respondents documented a total of 1 74 barriers. However, analysis revealed that only 11% (36) of respondents actually identi? d additional barriers. The remainder had reiterated or reworded barrier items already included in the tool. The additional barrier items listed by respondents were grouped into themes, which included funding, organizational commitment, research training, implementation strategy and professional responsibility. The percentages of items perceived by nurses’ as great or moderate facilitators are summarized in Table 4. The respondents were also given the opportunity to list and rate additional perceived facilitators. Eighteen per cent (57) of respondents took the opportunity to record a total of 90 facilitators. Of these, 7. % (24) actually identi? ed additional facilitators whereas the remainder had rephrased or repeated items already included in the tool. Consistent with the themes identi? ed for the additional barriers were funding, organizational commitment, active participation in rese arch 309 19 (6. 0) 252 28 6 10 15 6 (79. 5) (8. 8) (1. 9) (3. 2) (4. 7) (1. 9) 207 (65. 3) 105 (33. 1) 5 (1. 6) O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 A. M. Hutchinson and L. Johnston Table 2 BARRIERS Scale factors and factor loadings US factor groupings Factor loadings Communalities Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4Barrier item Factor 1: Organizational in? uences on research-based change Physician will not cooperate with implementation Administration will not allow implementation The nurse does not feels she/he has enough authority to change patient care procedures The facilities are inadequate for implementation Other staff are not supportive of implementation The nurse feels results are not generalizable to own setting The nurse is unwilling to change/try new ideas Factor 2: Qualities of the research and potential outcomes of implementation The research has methodological inadequacies The literature reports con? cting results The conclu sions drawn from the research are not justi? ed The research is not relevant to the nurse’s practice The nurse is uncertain whether to believe the results of the research The research is not reported clearly and readably Statistical analyses are not understandable The nurse feels the bene? ts of changing practice will be minimal Factor 3: Nurses’ research skills, beliefs and role limitations The nurse sees little bene? for self The nurse does not feel capable of evaluating the quality of the research There is not a documented need to change practice The nurse does not see the value of research for practice The amount of research information is overwhelming The nurse is isolated from knowledgeable colleagues with whom to discuss the research There is insuf? cient time on the job to implement new ideas Factor 4: Communication and accessibility of research ? dings Research reports/articles are not readily available Implications for practice are not made clear The nurse is unaware of the research The relevant literature is not compiled in one place The nurse does not have time to read research Setting Setting Setting Setting Setting Setting Nurse 0. 55 0. 52 0. 42 0. 42 0. 34 0. 39 0. 36 0. 73 0. 71 0. 56 0. 54 0. 53 0. 49 0. 43 0. 09 0. 10 0. 06 0. 11 0. 17 0. 30 0. 01 A0. 02 A0. 01 0. 31 A0. 04 0. 19 0. 23 0. 41 0. 09 A0. 04 0. 05 0. 33 0. 02 0. 01 A0. 09 Research Research Research Presentation Research Presentation PresentationNurse 0. 46 0. 38 0. 44 0. 43 0. 46 0. 33 0. 33 0. 46 0. 17 0. 11 0. 11 0. 22 0. 27 0. 11 A0. 04 0. 36 0. 66 0. 59 0. 57 0. 55 0. 53 0. 49 0. 47 0. 40 0. 03 0. 12 0. 30 A0. 13 0. 32 0. 18 0. 03 0. 38 0. 00 0. 04 A0. 05 0. 25 0. 07 0. 19 0. 32 A0. 14 Nurse Nurse Nurse Nurse * Nurse Setting Presentation Presentation Nurse Presentation Setting 0. 57 0. 45 0. 35 0. 55 0. 29 0. 31 0. 38 0. 45 0. 47 0. 33 0. 25 0. 31 0. 23 A0. 04 A0. 04 0. 15 0. 05 0. 31 0. 28 0. 01 0. 06 A0. 04 0. 13 0. 22 0. 39 0. 26 0. 14 0. 47 A0. 01 0. 11 A0. 17 0. 00 0. 31 0. 09 0. 3 A0. 14 0. 60 0. 58 0. 57 0. 55 0. 51 0. 42 0. 41 0. 00 A0. 09 0. 16 0. 13 0. 26 0. 04 0. 21 0. 09 A0. 04 0. 15 0. 16 0. 31 0. 67 0. 60 0. 54 0. 45 0. 42 Two items, ‘research reports/articles are not published fast enough’ and ‘the research has not been replicated’, did not load at the 0. 4 level in this analysis. *The item, ‘the amount of research information is overwhelming’ failed to load on any factor in the Funk et al. model. process – experience, strategy to ensure project completion, implementation strategies, and professional attitude.Discussion The present study generated a four-factor solution with similarities to that produced in the US by Funk et al. (1991b) and in the UK by Closs & Bryar (2001). The ? rst factor comprises characteristics of the organization and re? ects health professional and other resource support for change 310 associated with the implementation of research ? ndings. More broadly , the theme ‘organizational commitment’ identi? ed following analysis of the additional perceived barriers listed by respondents, appears to be associated with this factor.Organizational commitment, many respondents felt, would facilitate mobilization of resources to promote change. Factor 2 relates to qualities of research and potential outcomes associated with the implementation of research ? ndings. This factor re? ects the nurse’s reservations about reliability and validity of research ? ndings and conclusions, O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 Clinical nursing issues Table 3 BARRIERS Scale items in rank order Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization Barrier items The nurse does not have time to read research There is insuf? ient time on the job to implement new ideas The nurse is unaware of the research The nurse does not feel she/he has enough authority to change patient care procedures Statistica l analyses are not understandable The relevant literature is not compiled in one place Physicians will not cooperate with the implementation The nurse does not feel capable of evaluating the quality of the research The facilities are inadequate for implementation Other staff are not supportive of implementation Research reports/articles are not readily available The nurse feels results are not generalizable to own setting The amount of research information is overwhelming Implications for practice are not made clear The research is not reported clearly and readably The research has not been replicated The nurse is isolated from knowledgeable colleagues with whom to discuss the research Administration will not allow implementation The research is not relevant to the nurse’s practice The literature reports con? icting results The nurse feels the bene? s of changing practice will be minimal The nurse is uncertain whether to believe the results of the research Research reports/ar ticles are not published fast enough The nurse is unwilling to change/try new ideas The research has methodological inadequacies The nurse sees little bene? t for self There is not a documented need to change practice The nurse does not see the value of research for practice The conclusions drawn from the research are not justi? ed Reporting item as moderate or great barrier (%) 78. 3 73. 8 66. 2 64. 7 64. 1 58. 7 56. 1 55. 8 52 52 50. 8 50. 8 45. 7 45. 5 43. 3 41. 3 41 35 34. 4 34 31. 9 30. 9 30. 6 29. 4 25. 5 23. 3 22. 1 17 13. 8 Item mean score (SD) 4. 06 3. 9 3. 64 3. 51 3. 56 3. 51 3. 41 3. 3 3. 23 3. 16 3. 19 3. 09 3. 07 3. 0 3. 01 3. 16 2. 76 2. 88 2. 67 2. 87 2. 52 2. 58 2. 81 2. 34 2. 85 2. 25 2. 27 1. 9 2. (1. 21) (1. 3) (1. 4) (1. 39) (1. 32) (1. 26) (1. 33) (1. 39) (1. 3) (1. 29) (1. 35) (1. 26) (1. 35) (1. 22) (1. 25) (1. 14) (1. 49) (1. 18) (1. 28) (1. 11) (1. 3) (1. 29) (1. 21) (1. 34) (1. 0) (1. 26) (1. 24) (1. 21) (1. 02) Responding ‘no opinion’ or non- response (%) 0. 9 1. 6 1. 6 0. 9 3. 8 13 7. 6 3. 5 8. 8 6. 3 6. 3 3. 5 6. 9 5 8. 2 26. 1 3. 8 19. 6 4. 4 18. 9 3. 5 4. 7 25. 2 2. 2 32. 5 3. 5 8. 5 1. 6 21 Table 4 Facilitator items in rank order Reporting item as moderate or great facilitator (%) 89. 6 89. 5 84. 8 82. 3 82. 0 81. 4 81. 3 78. 2 Number (%) responding ‘no opinion’ or non-response 8 (2. 5) 6 9 6 10 (1. 8) (2. 8) (1. 8) (3. 2)Facilitator item Increasing the time available for reviewing and implementing research ? ndings Conducting more clinically focused and relevant research Providing colleague support network/mechanisms Advanced education to increase your research knowledge base Enhancing managerial support and encouragement of research implementation Improving availability and accessibility of research reports Improving the understandability of research reports Employing nurses with research skills to serve as role models Item mean score (SD) 4. 52 (0. 93) 4. 39 4. 21 4. 11 4. 15 (0. 94) (1. 02) (1. 13) (1. 08) 4. 12 (1. 11) 4. 16 (1. 1) 4. 04 (1. 22) 5 (1. 5) 8 (2. 5) 9 (2. 9)O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 311 A. M. Hutchinson and L. Johnston in addition to bene? ts of use of ? ndings in practice. Factor 3 focuses on characteristics of the nurse. In particular, this factor is associated with the nurse’s beliefs about the value of research and their research skills, in addition to the limitations of their role. The fourth factor is concerned with characteristics of communication. The focus of this factor centres on access to research ? ndings and understanding of the implications of ? ndings. The issues encompassed within this factor re? ect organizational barriers to access, and research presentation barriers.These factors are congruent with the concepts characterized in Rogers’ (1995) model of ‘diffusion of innovations’, including characteristics of the adopter, organization, innovation and communication , on which the BARRIERS Scale was developed. Two barrier items, ‘research reports/articles are not published fast enough’ and ‘the research has not been replicated’, failed to load suf? ciently onto a factor and were subsequently discarded. Exclusion of these items from the model re? ects their minimal signi? cance in relation to the underlying dimensions of the factors. That these items were ranked 23 and 16, respectively, is not surprising because they become less relevant when there is a perceived lack of time to read research and implement change as re? cted in the top two nominated barriers to research utilization. It is also important to note that over one quarter of respondents selected the ‘no opinion’ option or failed to respond to both of these items, which further suggests their lack of importance to respondents. The majority of respondents in this study rated approximately 40% of the barriers items as moderate or great barriers. Thi s is compared with the majority of nurse clinicians in the US (Funk et al. , 1991a) and nurses in the UK (Dunn et al. , 1997), who rated about 65% of the barrier items as moderate or great barriers. Overall, this group of Australian nurses perceived there to be fewer barriers to esearch utilization than their colleagues in the UK or US, with a mean score of 43. 7% of respondents rating all the barriers as moderate or great. In the UK (Walsh, 1997a) and the US (Funk et al. , 1991a) mean scores of 59. 8 and 55. 7%, respectively, re? ect the proportion of respondents who rated all barriers as moderate or great. Possible in? uences such as time, population, nursing education programmes should be acknowledged when considering these comparisons. Content analysis of the data comprising additional perceived barriers elicited ? ve new themes respondents associated with barriers to research utilization. Revision of the instrument to re? ect the themes identi? d and changes that have occurred over the past 10 years may be warranted to achieve a more valid scale for the setting in which it was used in this study. The addition of items consistent with changes in the availability of technological resources, information availability and use, and education may enhance the content validity of the scale. The ranking of perceived barriers in practice resulting from this study showed considerable consistency with rankings reported in other studies, as previously discussed. The top three barriers reported in 12 other studies fell within the top 10 barriers identi? ed in this study. Furthermore, two of the top three barriers in an additional two studies fell within the top 10 barriers identi? ed in the present study. The barrier item ‘there is insuf? ient time on the job to implement new ideas’ was reported within the top three barriers in 13 studies, including this and another Australian study (Retsas, 2000). When Spearman’s rank order correlation coef? cients were generated to compare the rank ordering of perceived barriers, a strong positive correlation between this and several other studies was evident (Table 5). Whilst acknowledging differences in nursing populations, sample size, sampling methods, response rates, and minor variations in item wording and number, this suggests a large degree of consistency regarding Study Funk et al. (1991a) Funk et al. (1995a) Dunn et al. (1997) Rutledge et al. (1998) Lewis et al. (1998) Kajermo et al. (1998) Retsas & Nolan (1999) Parahoo (2000) Retsas (2000) Closs et al. 2000) Parahoo & McCaughan (2001) Grif? ths et al. (2001) Location USA USA UK USA USA Sweden Australia Northern Ireland Australia UK Northern Ireland UK r 0. 866 0. 779 0. 835 0. 816 0. 879 0. 719 0. 884 0. 837 0. 801 0. 762 0. 799 0. 912 P 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 Coef? cient of determination (%) 75 61 70 66 77 52 78 70 64 58 64 83 Table 5 Barrier rank order correlations 312 O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 Clinical nursing issues Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization nurses’ perceptions of the relative importance of the barrier items. Marsh et al. 2001) however, caution against international comparisons with the original US data because changes in nursing education and roles, technology, funding and collaboration with other disciplines since then, may invalidate such comparisons. Nonetheless, despite these changes, the ? ndings of the present study have consistencies with not only the US data of 1991 but also more recent studies in the US, UK, Sweden, Northern Ireland and Australia (Table 5). Thus, notwithstanding the increasing momentum of the evidence-based practice movement in recent years, the pursuit of professional status by the nursing profession, the move of nursing education to the tertiary sector, increased access to systematic reviews and research databases, the research – practice gap persists.In the light of the plethora of research and theoretical literature on the research–practice gap and issues surrounding research utilization, it is of concern that nurses’ perceptions of the barriers to research utilization appear to remain consistent. In particular, issues surrounding support for implementation of research ? ndings, authority to change practice, time constraints and ability critically to appraise research continue to be perceived by nurses as the greatest barriers to research utilization. This raises important questions. Firstly, do such perceptions re? ect the reality of contemporary nursing? Or rather, do they represent unchallenged, traditionally held and ? rmly entrenched beliefs, which are founded on an understanding of nursing in a socio-historic context that is no longer relevant? If such perceptions do, in fact, re? ct the reality of current day nursing practice, despite the changes and progress that have been ma de in health care and nursing over the last decade, it behoves us, as a profession, to address the issues related to time, authority, support and skills in critical appraisal with conviction and a sense of urgency. Contextual issues including the socio-political environment, organizational culture and interprofessional relations need to be taken into serious consideration when exploring and formulating potential strategies to overcome these barriers. The hospital in which this study was conducted has since undertaken to explore and develop strategies to address and overcome barriers to, and reinforce and strengthen facilitators of research utilization highlighted in the ? ndings. ther studies using the BARRIERS Scale, may re? ect a response bias. That is, nurses with a positive attitude to research may have been more likely to complete the questionnaire. Internal consistency, the extent to which items in the scale measure the same concept (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 1998), of the tool w as reasonable, although not as high as that reported by Funk et al. (1991b). For seven items, more than 10% of the respondents nominated ‘no opinion’ or failed to respond. Furthermore, this study was conducted in one organization; the ? ndings are therefore context speci? c, which makes it dif? cult to generalize to other settings. However, there is consistency over ime and between countries in regard to nurses’ perceptions of the barriers to research utilization. Conclusion In order to gain an understanding of perceived in? uences on nurses’ utilization of research in a particular practice setting, nurses were surveyed to elicit their opinions regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization. Many of the perceived barriers to research utilization reported by this group of Australian nurses are consistent with reported perceptions of nurses in the US, UK and Northern Ireland during the past decade. Time was the most important barrier percei ved by nurses in this study, which is re? ected by responses to the items, ‘the nurse does not have time to read research’ and ‘there is insuf? ient time on the job to implement new ideas’, resulting in them being ranked as the top two barriers to research utilization. Consistent with this ? nding was the ranking of facilitator item ‘increasing the time available for reviewing and implementing research ? ndings’ as the most important facilitator to research utilization. The employment of qualitative research methods, such as observation and interview, will contribute further to our knowledge about barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization by nurses by allowing deeper exploration of experiences, perception and issues faced by nurses in the utilization of research in their practice.Fundamental questions about whether nurses’ perceptions actually re? ect the reality of the current context of nursing need to be further investiga ted. Future research should also examine issues surrounding the use of time by nurses. Questions exploring how much additional time nurses require in order to read the relevant literature and how nurses can be given more time to implement new ideas, need to be addressed. Issues related to nurses’ perception of their authority to change patient care procedures, the support and cooperation afforded by doctors and others, the facilities and availability of resources, and their skills in critical appraisal, also require further 313 LimitationsReporting bias associated with the self-report method raises questions about the extent to which the responses accurately represent nurses’ perceptions of the barriers to research utilization. The low response rate achieved in this study, although consistent with response rates reported in several O 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 304–315 A. M. Hutchinson and L. Johnston exploration. Investigatio n of the information-seeking behaviour of nurses, the means by which they gain and synthesize new research knowledge and the way in which they apply that knowledge to their decision making, will further contribute to our understanding of the research–practice gap phenomenon.Measurement of the actual extent of research utilization by nurses in the practice setting presents a major challenge for researchers in this ? eld. Acknowledgements The authors thank Sandra Funk for her permission to use the BARRIERS Scale for the purpose of this study. We wish to acknowledge and thank the nurses who completed the questionnaire. The authors also wish to acknowledge the statistical assistance provided by Ms Anne Solterbeck, Statistical Consulting Centre, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne. Contributions Study design: LJ, AMH; data analysis: AMH; manuscript preparation: AMH, LJ; literature review: AMH. 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